Region to get $2.8 billion for other transportation needs

February 27, 2007 (Arlington, TX) - Cintra Concesiones de Infraestructuras de Transporte (Cintra) will be recommended as the Comprehensive Development Agreement (CDA) developer for State Highway 121 in Collin and Denton Counties, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) announced today.

As part of its proposal, Cintra will pay the region $2.8 billion. These funds will allow the Regional Transportation Council to provide and accelerate funding for needed transportation projects throughout the region.

"This CDA will allow us to leverage scarce transportation funding to address critical transportation improvement needs in the region," said Michael Morris, director of transportation for the North Central Texas Council of Governments. "The money from this CDA will allow us to build transportation improvements we could otherwise not afford."

This CDA is a public-private partnership that allows the provider to handle all facets of developing the toll road, including completing construction and operating and maintaining the corridor.

Three firms have competed for the SH 121 CDA since last summer. The proposals were reviewed and scored based on selection criteria set forth by the Regional Transportation Council, the metropolitan planning agency for the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Based on its review and scoring of the proposals, TxDOT staff will recommend awarding the CDA to Cintra at a meeting Wednesday of the Texas Transportation Commission. If approved by the transportation commission, the award is conditional until the final environmental clearance of the SH 121 segment in Collin County (from the Dallas North Tollway to US 75) and the successful financial close of the agreement. If the selected developer is unable to achieve financial close, TxDOT will consider the next best value proposal for the CDA.

While traditional funding sources have not kept pace with rapid growth in Texas, TxDOT is working to reduce congestion, enhance safety, expand economic opportunity, improve air quality and increase the value of transportation assets. Using all available financial tools, such as CDAs, and empowering regional officials to solve regional transportation problems are two of TxDOT's tactics to achieve its goals.

About the Regional Transportation Council:

The Regional Transportation Council (RTC) of the North Central Texas Council of Governments has served as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for regional transportation planning in the Dallas-Fort Worth area since 1974. The MPO works in cooperation with the region's transportation providers to address the complex transportation needs of the rapidly growing metropolitan area. The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area includes Collin, Dallas, Denton, Rockwall and Tarrant Counties, as well as portions of Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman and Parker Counties. The RTC's 40 members include local elected or appointed officials from the metropolitan area and representatives from each of the area's transportation providers.